Westwater Resources, Inc.: Form 10-Q for the period ended Jun 30, 2020

The following management’s discussion and analysis of the consolidated financial results and condition of Westwater for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 has been prepared based on information available to us as of August 5, 2020. This discussion should be read in conjunction with the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and notes thereto included herewith and the audited Consolidated Financial Statements of WWR for the period ended December 31, 2019 and the related notes thereto filed with our Annual Report on Form 10-K, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. This discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including, but not limited to, those set forth elsewhere in this report. See “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”

INTRODUCTION

Westwater Resources, Inc. is a 40-year-old public company trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “WWR.” Originally incorporated in 1977 as Uranium Resources, Inc. to mine uranium in Texas, our company has been reborn as a diversified energy materials developer. Westwater now has a presence in uranium, lithium exploration, and battery-ready graphite materials after its acquisition of Alabama Graphite Corp. (“Alabama Graphite”) in April 2018. In addition, Westwater recently discovered significant vanadium concentrations at the Coosa Graphite Project (the “Coosa Project”) in Alabama and has an exploration plan available to further investigate the size and extent of those concentrations.

Westwater holds battery-ready graphite development properties in Alabama, properties with lithium exploration potential in Nevada and Utah, two idled uranium production properties in Texas and several uranium properties in Texas and New Mexico. Westwater ceased uranium production in 2009 due to reductions in the price of uranium, although Westwater’s uranium properties and facilities in Texas can be restarted once the price of uranium recovers to acceptable levels.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

Graphite Business Developments

Westwater’s graphite business plan continues without pause. The Company and its consultants continue to produce results that inform pilot plant operations, which are presently scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2020. Westwater remains focused on the battery materials markets, the end markets for those products, and the role that can be played in supplying critical materials to serve them.

In June 2020, Westwater announced that independent testing of Westwater’s ULTRA-PMG™ battery graphite material has shown outstanding resistivity values as a conductive additive. This milestone achievement is a critical step in developing Westwater’s battery graphite business. PMG is one of the key products in the Coosa Project business plan being produced at laboratory-scale using proprietary processes that Westwater intends to utilize in the pilot program later this year. Successful performance testing demonstrates that Westwater can manufacture ULTRA-PMG™ as a premium-grade, conductive enhancement material for all types of batteries at larger scale.

In July 2020, Westwater announced that independent performance testing of Westwater’s ULTRA-CSPG™ (Coated Spherical Purified Graphite "CSPG”) material produced in a laboratory setting shows that it performs as well or better than benchmark commercially available natural flake and synthetic materials. ULTRA-CSPGTM is Westwater’s anode material which is utilized in lithium ion batteries, which are used in the fast-growing electric vehicle market.

Sales and Marketing Executive

After a comprehensive search process that yielded many highly qualified candidates, Westwater hired Jay Wago as Vice President – Sales and Marketing on July 1, 2020. Mr. Wago is a proven sales leader, whose unique skills and experience will be instrumental in leading Westwater’s sales and marketing efforts for our battery graphite materials business. The addition of Mr. Wago will help position Westwater to scale its marketing efforts to generate greater awareness of our American-made battery graphite materials to end-users throughout the world.

Graphite, Lithium, Uranium, and Vanadium Listed as Critical Materials

A Presidential Executive Order on a Federal Strategy to Ensure Secure and Reliable Supplies of Critical Minerals was issued on December 20, 2017, which we believe will result in important energy related mineral development in the United States. In conjunction with Professional Paper 1802, published by the US Geological Service (“USGS”), where 23 minerals are identified as critical to the Country’s security and economy, WWR believes these actions are important steps in support of domestic minerals development. One of the important steps outlined in the Executive Order required a list of critical minerals to be provided by the US Secretary of the Interior. This list was subsequently provided and included all of WWR’s contemplated portfolio products consisting of graphite, lithium and uranium. The discovery of vanadium on our Alabama property adds an additional element to Westwater’s portfolio of critical elements. Graphite and lithium, in particular, are critical to the development of batteries and other energy storage systems essential to the electric vehicle, solar and wind power industries, while vanadium is a lightweight metal used in the construction industry, in high strength steel alloys, and in large grid storage batteries.

Creation of The President’s Nuclear Fuels Working Group

On July 1, 2019, President Trump ordered a review of the domestic nuclear supply chain (uranium production, conversion, enrichment and fabrication) in the context of the 2017 White House initiative to revive, revitalize and expand the nuclear energy sector.

Accordingly, to address concerns regarding the production of domestic uranium and ensure a comprehensive review of the domestic nuclear supply chain, the President directed that a Nuclear Fuel Working Group (“NFWG”) be established. The NFWG includes the Secretary of State, Secretary of Energy and Secretary of Defense, among other key officials.

On April 23, 2020, the U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”) announced the NFWG’s strategy to revive the U.S. uranium industry in a report entitled “Strategy to Restore American Nuclear Energy Leadership.” The most important recommendations in the report for the uranium mining sector are:

• U.S. purchases of 17-19 million pounds of U3O8 for a strategic uranium reserve, beginning in 2020 from domestic producers using a competitive bidding process.
• DOE will end the uranium bartering program and reevaluate DOE’s Excess Uranium Inventory Management Policy.
• Streamline regulatory reform and land access for uranium extraction.
• Support Department of Commerce efforts to extend the Russian Suspension Agreement to protect against future uranium dumping in the U.S. market.
• Enable the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to deny imports of nuclear fuel fabricated in Russia or China for national security purposes.
• Fund advanced water treatment technology for uranium mining and in-situ recovery.
• Increase efficiencies in the export processes and the adoption of 123 Agreements to open new markets for exports of U.S. civil nuclear technology, materials and fuel.

Global Pandemic and our Actions to Ensure Safety

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization designated COVID-19 as a global pandemic. The pandemic spread outside of China during the first quarter of 2020 and has impacted businesses throughout the world. In the U.S., many state and local governments have, based on local conditions, either recommended or mandated actions to slow the transmission of COVID-19. These measures range from limitations on crowd size, together with closures of bars and dine-in restaurants, to mandatory orders for non-essential citizens to “shelter in place” or “stay at home” until further direction. Borders between many countries have been closed to contain the spread of COVID-19. Uncertainty with respect to the economic effects of the pandemic has introduced significant volatility in the financial markets.

This pandemic, and the resultant uncertain economic conditions it has created, could adversely affect our operations, major facilities, or employees’ health. Westwater has the following priorities while managing business activities during this period of volatility and uncertainty:

• First, to ensure the health and safety of employees and the communities where they work.
• Second, to work with business partners to maintain the advanced graphite product development schedule.
• Third, to ensure adequate financial liquidity to support key operations and business activities.

Westwater’s corporate business activities are largely unaffected at this time. Even though Westwater closed offices, remote working arrangements were instituted to ensure that employees were able to work remotely using systems that already were in place. Westwater’s continued focus on the health and safety of employees, the safety of operations, and the safety of the communities in which our employees live and work remains paramount. To that end, Westwater eliminated unnecessary travel, instituted health protocols for working together, and ensured that employees are permitted to take time off due to illness or the illness of those around them without penalty. As a result, our corporate business activities will continue on as before, without interruption.

In South Texas, due to tumultuous capital markets and uncertain economic conditions created by the pandemic, Westwater shut down restoration and reclamation operations and furloughed employees in March 2020. Westwater complied with stay at home orders issued by county and state jurisdictions. After consultation with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Westwater maintained certain critical permit compliance activities with a limited workforce. Upon receipt of the PPP loan proceeds, Westwater reinstated employees and restarted restoration and reclamation activities on May 4, 2020.

To the extent that the COVID-19 pandemic continues or worsens, local governments or governmental agencies may impose additional restrictions. The result of COVID-19 and those restrictions could result in a number of adverse impacts to Westwater’s business, including but not limited to additional disruption to the economy, additional work restrictions, and supply chains being interrupted, slowed, or rendered inoperable. As a result, it may be challenging to obtain and process raw materials to support business needs, and individuals could become ill, quarantined, or otherwise unable to work and/or travel due to health reasons or governmental restrictions. Also, governments may impose other laws, regulations or taxes which could adversely impact Westwater’s business, financial condition or results of operations. The potential effects of COVID-19 could also impact Westwater in a number of other ways including, but not limited to, laws and regulations affecting business, the availability of future borrowings, the cost of borrowings, and potential impairment of the carrying value of long-lived tangible assets.

Payroll Protection Loan

The Paycheck Protection Program (or “PPP”) was established under the congressionally-approved Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”) and is administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”). The Paycheck Protection Program is a loan designed to provide a direct incentive for small businesses to keep their workers on the payroll. On May 4, 2020, URI, Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary of Westwater, received loan proceeds in the amount of $0.3 million under the Paycheck Protection Program in accordance with the terms of a promissory note executed in favor of Celtic Bank Corporation, a Salt Lake City based SBA Preferred Lender. The loan and accrued interest are forgivable after eight weeks as long as the loan proceeds are used for eligible purposes, including payroll and benefits costs, rent and utilities. Any unforgiven portion of the PPP loan is payable over two years at an interest rate of 1%, with a deferral of payments for the first six months and the first payment of principal and interest due on November 30, 2020.

Between February 14, 2020 and March 16, 2020, the Company’s share price decreased 63% due to turmoil in the equity capital markets from the COVID-19 pandemic discussed above. This significantly impacted the Company’s financing facilities because registered share capacity was exhausted faster than anticipated due to the significant decrease in share price. For instance, the number of registered shares approved by shareholders available under the Company’s 2019 Purchase Agreement with Lincoln Park 2019 was exhausted in April 2020 with $2.3 million of remaining usable capacity lost. As a result of the severe downturn in the capital markets and uncertainty about when economic conditions would return to normal, the Company shut down its South Texas operations and implemented other cost reduction initiatives. When the CARES Act was passed and PPP loan eligibility rules were promulgated, the Company’s interpretation of the rules were that the loan proceeds could be used for payroll and benefits of URI’s furloughed employees which would allow restart of operations in South Texas. Accordingly, the Company used the proceeds for funding its payroll and benefits costs for its South Texas operations over a 10-week period during the months of May, June and July, purposes consistent with the PPP. While the Company currently believes that its use of the loan proceeds will meet the conditions for forgiveness of the loan, no assurance can be provided that the Company will obtain forgiveness of the Loan, in whole or in part.

Equity Financings

2020 Purchase Agreement (“2020 Purchase Agreement”) with Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC (“Lincoln Park”)

On May 21, 2020, the Company entered into the 2020 Purchase Agreement, as amended on May 29, 2020, with Lincoln Park to place up to $12.0 million in the aggregate of the Company’s common stock on an ongoing basis when required by the Company over a term of 24 months. Westwater will control the timing and amount of any sales to Lincoln Park, and Lincoln Park is obligated to make purchases in accordance with the 2020 Purchase Agreement. Any common stock that is sold to Lincoln Park will occur at a purchase price that is based on an agreed upon fixed discount to the Company’s prevailing market prices at the time of each sale and with no upper limits to the price Lincoln Park may pay to purchase common stock. The 2020 Purchase Agreement may be terminated by Westwater at any time, in its sole discretion, without any additional cost or penalty.

The 2020 Purchase Agreement specifically provides that the Company may not issue or sell any shares of its common stock under the 2020 Purchase Agreement if such issuance or sale would breach any applicable rules of The Nasdaq Capital Market. In particular, Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(d) provides that the Company may not issue or sell more than 19.99% of the shares of the Company’s common stock outstanding immediately prior to the execution of the 2020 Purchase Agreement without shareholder approval. The Company received such shareholder approval to sell up to 8.0 million shares of common stock under the 2020 Purchase Agreement at its Annual Shareholders Meeting conducted on April 28, 2020.

Lincoln Park has no right to require the Company to sell any shares of common stock to Lincoln Park, but Lincoln Park is obligated to make purchases as the Company directs, subject to certain conditions. In all instances, the Company may not sell shares of its common stock to Lincoln Park under the 2020 Purchase Agreement if it would result in Lincoln Park beneficially owning more than 9.99% of its common stock. As an initial purchase on May 21, 2020, Lincoln Park bought $250,000 worth of Common Stock of the Company at a price of $1.2989 per share. The Company issued 156,250 shares of Common Stock to Lincoln Park as consideration for its commitment to purchase shares of Common Stock under the 2020 Purchase Agreement.

Also, on May 21, 2020, the Company entered into a registration rights agreement with Lincoln Park pursuant to which the Company filed a registration statement on Form S-1 with the SEC, which was declared effective on June 26, 2020 relating to the resale of an initial tranche of 1,971,000 shares subject to the 2020 Purchase Agreement. As of June 30, 2020, the Company has sold 192,471 shares of common stock for gross proceeds of $250,000 under the 2020 Purchase Agreement and through July 31, 2020, the Company has sold 1.1 million shares of common stock for gross proceeds of $2.3 million.

Turkish Government Taking of Temrezli and Sefaatli Licenses and Westwater’s Arbitration Filing and Proceedings

On January 27, 2020, Westwater filed a Claimant’s Memorial (the “Memorial”) in its arbitration proceeding against the Republic of Turkey (“Turkey”). The Memorial relates to Westwater’s request for arbitration submitted to the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (“ICSID”) in December 2018 as a result of Turkey’s unlawful actions against Westwater’s investments at the Temrezli and Sefaatli uranium projects owned by Westwater’s Turkish subsidiary Adur Madencilik Limited Sirketi.

The Memorial sets forth the basis for Westwater’s claims under the treaty between the United States and Turkey concerning the reciprocal encouragement and protection of investments and international law generally, as well as the basis for the jurisdiction of the tribunal constituted on May 1, 2019 following ICSID’s registration of Westwater’s request for arbitration. The Memorial also establishes the reparations owed by Turkey for breach of its international obligations towards Westwater, consisting of no less than $36.5 million, plus costs and post-award interest, as compensation for Westwater’s resulting loss of its investment. Accompanying the Memorial is an expert report regarding the reparations owed to Westwater. In determining the amount of Westwater’s loss, the expert report considered (i) the projected future cash flows from the expropriated projects, discounted to present value by a risk-adjusted discount rate, (ii) valuations from transactions for similar projects, and (iii) in the case of the Sefaatli project, the amounts invested in the project.

On March 11, 2020, Turkey filed a request to bifurcate the arbitration proceeding, and on March 30, 2020, Westwater filed a response in opposition to Turkey’s request for bifurcation. On April 28, 2020, the arbitral tribunal denied Turkey’s bifurcation request. On May 13, 2020, Turkey filed with the arbitral tribunal a request, which Westwater elected not to oppose, to extend the date on which their Counter-Memorial must be filed (and to change dates for subsequent pleadings as well as document production and witness identification deadlines), which the tribunal approved on June 3, 2020. As a result of these decisions by the tribunal, Turkey must file its Counter-Memorial on or before September 14, 2020, and the hearing on the substantive issues and damages is scheduled for September 13-17, 2021. Overall, the filing on May 13, 2020 had no effect on the timing of the hearing in 2021.

Additional information regarding the ICSID arbitration proceeding is presented in Part II, Item 1 below.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Summary

Our consolidated net loss for the three months ended June 30, 2020 was $2.5 million, or $0.43 per share, as compared with a consolidated net loss of $2.8 million, or $1.81 per share for the same period in 2019. The $0.3 million decrease in our consolidated net loss from the respective prior period was the result of a decrease in mineral property expenses in the current year in an effort to conserve cash during the economic uncertainties arising from the COVID-19 pandemic and a decrease in arbitration costs due to minimal scheduled proceedings during the current quarter.

Our consolidated net loss for the six months ended June 30, 2020 was $5.8 million, or $1.18 per share, as compared with a consolidated net loss of $5.9 million, or $3.95 per share for the same period in 2019. The $0.1 million decrease in our consolidated net loss from the respective prior period was partially the result of a $0.7 million loss on the sale of securities comprised of Laramide shares and warrants in the first half of 2019 offset by interest income from the Laramide promissory note. No such losses or interest income was recorded for the same period in 2020.

Mineral Property Expenses

The following table details our mineral property expenses for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019:

For the three and six months ended June 30, 2020, mineral property expenses decreased by $0.2 million from the corresponding periods during 2019. The decreases were primarily due to the timing of the annual lease rental for a uranium property in New Mexico. The full amount of lease rental is normally paid during the second quarter of the year but for the current year the leaseholder agreed to payments in seven monthly installments from May to November. At June 30, 2020 five monthly payments remained.

General and Administrative Expenses

Significant expenditures for general and administrative expenses for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019 were:

General and administrative expenses for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019 remained relatively constant at $1.7 million and $3.4 million respectively.

Arbitration Costs

The majority of costs associated with the Request for Arbitration against the Republic of Turkey in 2020 occurred in the first quarter and slowed significantly in the second quarter resulting in a $0.3 million decrease for the three months ended June 30, 2020 compared with the same period in 2019. During the six months ended June 30, 2020, the Company incurred arbitration related legal and expert consulting costs of $0.7 million, a $0.2 million increase over the $0.5 million of costs incurred during the same period in 2019. The increase was due to the significant activity in January 2020 leading up to and following the filing of the Company’s Memorial with ICSID on January 27, 2020. For further reference, see discussion in the Recent Developments section of this Part I and below at Part II, Item 1.

Other Income and Expenses

For the three months ended June 30, 2020, the $0.1 million decrease in other income compared to the three months ended June 30, 2019 was primarily due to interest income from the Laramide promissory note recorded in 2019.

For the six months ended June 30, 2020, the $0.4 million increase in other income compared to the six months ended June 30, 2019 was primarily due to the $0.7 million loss on the sale of securities comprised of Laramide shares and warrants in the first half of 2019 offset by interest income from the Laramide promissory note. No such losses or interest income was recorded over the same period in 2020.

FINANCIAL POSITION

Operating Activities

Net cash used in operating activities was $6.0 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020, as compared with $4.3 million for the same period in 2019. The $1.7 million increase in cash used was primarily due to an increase in prepaid assets and a decrease in accounts payable and accrued liabilities in 2020.

Investing Activities

Net cash used for investing activities for the six months ended June 30, 2020 was $0.1 million for the purchase of equipment, as compared with $2.8 million of cash provided by investing activities for the six months ended June 30, 2019. For the 2019 period, the Company received note payments on the Laramide note in the amount of $0.8 million in cash. Additionally, the Company received net proceeds of $0.5 million from the sale of Laramide securities and $1.5 million from URC as a deposit in accordance with the terms of the Asset Purchase Agreement signed on March 5, 2019. See Note 4 to our unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included herewith for more information.

Financing Activities

Net cash provided by financing activities was $6.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020, resulting primarily from the proceeds of sales of common stock through the Company’s ATM Offering Agreement and the Lincoln Park 2019 Purchase Agreement and 2020 Purchase Agreement. Additionally, $0.3 million was received from the PPP loan in May 2020. Net cash provided by financing activities for the same period in 2019 was $1.1 million. The $5.5 million increase was due to better financing capacity under the Company’s financing agreements with Cantor and Lincoln Park in the first six months of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019.

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

The interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements of the Company have been prepared on a “going concern” basis, which means that the continuation of the Company is presumed even though events and conditions exist that, when considered in the aggregate, raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern because it is possible that the Company will be required to adversely change its current business plan or may be unable to meet its obligations as they become due within one year after the date that these financial statements were issued.

The Company last recorded revenues from operations in 2009 and expects to continue to incur losses as a result of costs and expenses related to maintaining its properties and general and administrative expenses. Since 2009, the Company has relied on equity financings, debt financings and asset sales to fund its operations and the Company expects to rely on these forms of financing to fund its operations into the near future. The Company will also continue to identify ways to reduce its cash expenditures.

The Company’s current business plan requires working capital to fund non-discretionary expenditures for uranium reclamation activities, mineral property holding costs, early stage graphite battery-material product development costs and administrative costs. The Company intends to pursue project financing to support execution of the graphite business plan, including discretionary capital expenditures associated with ongoing graphite battery-material product development costs, construction of pilot plant facilities and construction of commercial production facilities. The Company’s current lithium business plan will be funded by working capital; however, the Company is pursuing project financing including possible joint venture partners to fund discretionary greenfield exploration activities.

At June 30, 2020 the Company’s cash balances were $2.3 million and the Company had a working capital deficit balance of $1.0 million. The Company’s cash balance at ­­­­­­July 31, 2020 is $2.9 million. Subsequent to July 31, 2020, the Company expects to fund operations as follows:

• The Purchase Agreement with Lincoln Park Capital, LLC (“Lincoln Park”) dated as of May 21, 2020 and as amended on May 29, 2020 (the “2020 Purchase Agreement”), the issuance of shares pursuant to which was approved by the Company’s shareholders at the annual shareholders meeting on April 28, 2020. Pursuant to the 2020 Purchase Agreement, the Company may place up to $12.0 million in the aggregate of the Company's common stock on an ongoing basis when required by the Company over a term of 24-months ending in May 2022. As of July 31, 2020, the Company has 722,279 registered shares for resale by Lincoln Park on a current Form S-1 and $9.7 million remaining sales capacity under the 2020 Purchase Agreement, subject to periodic registration of shares on Form S-1.
• The Controlled Equity Offering Sales Agreement (the “ATM Offering Agreement”) with Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. (“Cantor”) which currently has $19.5 million remaining sales capacity, subject to periodic registration of shares on Form S-3. The Company is currently eligible to, and intends to, register the sale of additional shares under the agreement on Form S-3 pursuant to the SEC’s shelf registration rules.
• Other possible debt and equity financings and asset sales.

While the Company has been successful in the past in raising funds through equity and debt financings as well as through the sale of non-core assets, no assurance can be given that additional financing will be available to it in amounts sufficient to meet its needs, or on terms acceptable to the Company. Stock price volatility and uncertain economic conditions caused by the recent Covid-19 pandemic could significantly impact the Company’s ability to raise funds through equity financing. In the event that we are unable to raise sufficient additional funds, we may be required to delay, reduce or severely curtail our operations or otherwise impede our on-going business efforts, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, financial condition, long-term prospects and ability to continue as a viable business. Considering all of the factors above, the Company believes there is substantial doubt regarding its ability to continue as a going concern.

OFF-BALANCE SHEET ARRANGEMENTS

We have no off-balance sheet arrangements.

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

With the exception of historical matters, the matters discussed in this report are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from projections or estimates contained herein. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding the adequacy of funding, liquidity, the timing or occurrence of any future drilling or production from the Company’s properties, the ability of the Company to acquire additional properties or partner with other companies, the construction of pilot plant facilities and construction of commercial production facilities, the realization of expected benefits from recent business combinations and the Company’s anticipated cash burn rate and capital requirements. Words such as “may,” “could,” “should,” “would,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “forecast,” “potential,” “intend,” “continue,” “project” and variations of these words, comparable words and similar expressions generally indicate forward-looking statements. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements include, among others:

• the spot price and long-term contract price of graphite, vanadium, lithium and uranium;
• the ability of the Company to enter into and successfully close acquisitions, dispositions or other material transactions;
• the Company’s ability to raise capital in the future;
• government regulation of the mining industry and the nuclear power industry in the United States;
• risks associated with our operations and the operations of our partners, including the impact of COVID-19;
• our expectations regarding the use of funds from the Company’s PPP Loan and the potential for loan forgiveness under the terms of the PPP Loan;
• operating conditions at our projects;
• the world-wide supply and demand of graphite, vanadium, lithium and uranium;
• weather conditions;
• unanticipated geological, processing, regulatory and legal or other problems we may encounter;
• the results of our exploration activities, and the possibility that future exploration results may be materially less promising than initial exploration results;
• any graphite, vanadium, lithium or uranium discoveries not being in high enough concentration to make it economic to extract the metals;
• currently pending or new litigation or arbitration;
• our ability to continue to satisfy the listing requirements of the Nasdaq Capital Market;
• our ability to maintain and timely receive mining and other permits from regulatory agencies.

as well as other factors described elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, our 2019 Annual Report on Form 10-K and the other reports we file with the SEC. Most of these factors are beyond our ability to predict or control. Future events and actual results could differ materially from those set forth herein, contemplated by or underlying the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made. We disclaim any obligation to update any forward-looking statements made herein, except as required by law.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

The Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time period specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to management, including the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, management has recognized that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives, and management is required to apply judgment in evaluating the Company’s controls and procedures.

During the fiscal period covered by this report, the Company’s management, with the participation of the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Company, carried out an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended). Based on that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of June 30, 2020.

Changes in Internal Controls

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the quarter ended June 30, 2020 that materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect our internal control over financial reporting.

There have been no material changes from those risk factors set forth in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, as updated by the risk factor set forth in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2020, each of which is incorporated herein by reference.